Johnnie Johnson, the 'Johnny' in the Chuck Berry classic 'Johnny
B Goode', has died aged 80. Johnson was a long term collaborator of Berry, writing songs on piano which Berry then converted to guitar. He joined Chuck's band in 1952 and worked with him for two decades. However their relationship turned sour later when Johnson sued Berry over allegations he was owed royalties on tracks he co-wrote but was never credited for. The courts rejected his lawsuit because too much time had past since the songs were written. Johnson had been ill for some time and was hospitalised a month ago with pneumonia.